59 Kiss
◎He pressed his lips against those cherry lips◎
Wei Ziyan had been severely exhausted last night, and only woke up slowly at noon. When she opened her eyes, she saw the same liar from her dream. She turned away, not wanting to see him.
The eyes can ignore it, but the ears can't stop listening to his explanation.
She didn't expect that the truth was actually a misunderstanding caused by a cloak, and was also surprised that he sternly rejected the kindness of his grandmother and mother.
After such a rollercoaster of emotions, Wei Ziyan couldn't hold back her tears again. Yan Qizheng hugged her tightly, just like he did last night, and gently tried to stop her from crying.
But for some reason, the more he comforted her, the more sadly she cried. She should have been happy, but inside she was filled with indescribable sadness...
Finally, fearing she might faint again, Yan Qizheng handed her over to Qiu Luo and retreated outside. Sure enough, without seeing anyone else, Wei Ziyan's tears gradually subsided. Now that Qiu Luo had asked her to recall what had happened, she had no desire to do so.
What does it matter if it's true or not? What shouldn't have happened has already happened.
Even though she believed Yan Qizheng had mistaken her for someone else, the reality of what she had witnessed truly tore her heart apart. It wasn't the truth that would instantly restore everything to its original state.
Even though she knew that this series of events was not Yan Qizhen's fault, she still couldn't forgive him immediately.
Of course, there was also the old resentment she had felt towards him a few days ago, which fueled the situation. In short, she couldn't let it go immediately.
No matter how much she complained, she would eat when it was time to eat and take her medicine when it was time to take it. Wei Ziyan would not torture herself because of her resentment towards him. After taking the medicine, she slept for another half day, and when she woke up, it was already dusk.
She had slept a bit too hot, her palms sweating. Qiu Luo brought a hot towel to wipe her face and hands, saying, "My son-in-law didn't go out this afternoon. He comes in every half hour to check on the windows and the charcoal fire..."
Secretly observing that the young lady was not displeased, Qiu Luo continued, "I think the son-in-law is just looking for an excuse to come in. In fact, he wants to see if the young lady is awake."
After this sleep, Wei Ziyan had calmed down considerably. She ignored Qiu Luo's nagging, wiped her hands, and drank from the teacup. Three bowls of warm tea in a row finally soothed the heat in her throat and chest.
"Is it cold enough to burn charcoal?"
The room was as warm as spring. Wei Ziyan didn't feel cold at all, but rather a little hot.
"That's because we burned some charcoal. It's really cold outside today." Qiu Luo remembered something and pulled out two hot water bottles from under the quilt. "And this one, my husband is worried that my young lady's feet will get cold when she sleeps."
Seeing the two hot water bottles, Wei Ziyan was speechless for a moment. No wonder she felt hot from head to toe.
"No need, take it."
Qiu Luo put it aside as he said: "Miss, are you hungry? What do you want to eat?"
Wei Ziyan shook her head. How could she get hungry easily if she kept sleeping?
She wanted to sit down and clear her mind, so that her head wouldn't be so groggy all the time. Qiu Luo wanted to get her a book to entertain her, fearing that she would just sit there. Wei Ziyan smiled bitterly, "I can barely even look at you right now, what's the point of reading?"
Qiu Luo hung her mouth and said she would make her a new pot of tea.
As soon as she left, Wei Ziyan fiddled with the handkerchief she had used to wipe her sweat. Her mother had taught her how to make a mouse when she was a child, but it had been so long since then that she couldn't remember how to turn a handkerchief into a mouse.
As he was struggling with his handkerchief, someone walked in from behind the screen. It was Yan Qizheng, the man Qiu Luo had mentioned as "coming in every half hour to do a round." He was dressed in casual home clothes and holding a vase with a few eye-catching flowers and plants in it.
It's a flower in the yard outside, and there are crystal water droplets on the leaves.
"Look at these flowers in full bloom, I cut some to show you." Yan Qi was placing the vase on the bedside table, and the rich fragrance of osmanthus flowers almost immediately filled his nostrils.
It's refreshing.
Wei Ziyan lowered her head again and continued to fold the handkerchief.
I could hear some slight noises. It must be that he first opened the window a little wider, and then picked up the tongs to tidy up the charcoal fire.
"Little White is always making trouble in the study, jumping up and down non-stop. How about letting him into the room to cheer you up?"
Wei Ziyan's fingers paused for a moment, but then returned to normal. Yan Qizheng took in this subtle change, and with a glimmer of hope, he put down the forceps and approached the bedside.
"I was sorting through my bookshelf this morning and found some interesting storybooks. Can I read them to you?"
But he never expected that the mention of the storybook would remind Wei Ziyan of "Yingying and Her Husband", and then she thought of imitating Yingying to embroider a purse for him, and the bitterness that immediately came over her made her eyes red.
"Go!" Wei Ziyan threw the handkerchief at him. "You don't like staying in the study, go back to your study!"
How could a soft handkerchief hit anyone? Yan Qi was quick to catch it mid-air. Hearing her next words, he tightened his grip for a moment.
It turned out that she still remembered the old account from a few days ago.
But it was indeed his fault. He was unreasonable and hurt her feelings.
Being kicked out again, Yan Qizhen felt more and more regretful and heartbroken.
He could still defend himself for the incident of saving the wrong person, but sleeping in the study was pure self-inflicted trouble. He shot himself in the foot. Why bother? In the end, he was the one who suffered.
Yan Qizheng returned to his study, feeling overwhelmed with sorrow. He knew she was blaming him, but he was helpless and had no idea what to do.
Still clutching the handkerchief tightly in his hand, Yan Qizheng loosened his knuckles and stared at it for a long time.
Perhaps it was God's mercy, but he suddenly understood - she had been fiddling with it for a long time, probably trying to fold something. Coincidentally, while sorting out his books this morning, he found some he had never opened before, including one about craftsmanship.
Yan Qizheng jumped up from his desk and quickly searched the bookshelf. It didn't take him long to find the old book that had been covered in dust for a long time.
The book, with pictures and text, records the ingenuity of origami and handkerchief folding. There are various small animals and common objects. What does she want to fold?
He sat down at the desk again, spread out his handkerchief, and flipped through the book.
White-eared snake was playing mischief at his feet, and Yan Qizheng had no time to bother with it. Unexpectedly, it leaped onto the table, about to destroy the handkerchief. Yan Qizheng grabbed it and tried to chase it off. White-eared snake made a sound, and an idea flashed in his mind.
There was no instruction on how to fold a cat in the book, but there was a mouse. And the mouse was relatively simple to fold, so it seemed like he could fold it.
Even though she didn't want to kill a mouse, it gave her another excuse to send Xiaobai over. Yan Qizheng rubbed Bai'er's head as he changed his action of chasing the cat away. "You don't want to stay locked up in the study anymore, do you? Then don't make trouble."
After an incense stick of time, Wei Ziyan's eyes widened when she saw the "rat" that Qiu Luo presented to her.
"Observe the young lady's reaction carefully. If it's not what she wants, try to find out what she wants."
Qiu Luo remembered her brother-in-law's instructions and saw the young lady's reaction clearly.
"Miss, do you want to fold this?" she asked tentatively.
"How do you know?" Wei Ziyan looked at her in disbelief, and Qiu Luo breathed a sigh of relief.
"My uncle guessed it, and this is also folded by my uncle."
“…”
Wei Ziyan's red lips parted slightly, a touch of surprise and discomfort in her heart. But at this moment, Leng Xiang arrived to report that someone from the embroidery shop had delivered two pairs of shoes. She was taken aback for a moment, then quickly ordered Qiu Luo, "Put them away quickly, don't let anyone see them."
It’s too late.
As soon as the shoes were delivered to the courtyard, Xu Ji went to the study to report the news. When Qiu Luo came out, the box had been opened and Yan Qi was holding a deerskin boot in his hand, his face full of surprise and disbelief.
"When did she..."
He never expected that she was not indifferent to the shoes he had been thinking about...
"Before Miss Liu left, the young lady returned to her parents' home and took the opportunity to go to the embroidery shop to make shoes for her brother-in-law. She also said that she wanted to keep it a secret so that her brother-in-law would be more surprised when he received it."
Ever since Yan Qizheng explained things to Wei Ziyan and patiently apologized, Qiu Luo's anger towards him had mostly subsided. She also understood that only her son-in-law could heal the young lady's heartache, so she was willing to pass on some information to him from last night until now, so that the two of them could reconcile as soon as possible.
But when he mentioned what the young lady had done silently for her son-in-law some time ago, he didn't get a good look from him. Qiu Luo couldn't help but feel indignant again, and he couldn't help but express it.
"The young lady also secretly learned to embroider purses. She embroidered one after another, and pricked her hands again and again, hoping to embroider a purse that would be presentable as a birthday gift for her son-in-law. The young lady has her son-in-law in her heart, but what about you, son-in-law? You have a cold face every day, as if the young lady had committed a huge mistake, leaving her alone in the empty room, silently sad..."
These words, word by word, were like needles piercing his heart!
Yan Qizhen just woke up from his dream, his chest felt like it was churning with anger. Without waiting for Qiu Luo to finish her words, he strode into the house.
Wei Ziyan didn't wait for Qiu Luo to come back. She was about to put on her clothes, get out of bed and go out in person, but she saw Yan Qi coming towards her with a boot in his hand. She knew it was too late, but she still refused to let him get away with it.
"Don't be so sentimental, I'm not giving it to you—"
Halfway through her words, a figure suddenly approached her and pressed down on her. Yan Qizheng stretched out his arms and hugged her tightly.
"Let me go!" After a moment of hesitation, Wei Ziyan began to push hard.
How could Yan Qizheng agree to this? He sat a little further inside the bed and held her in his arms even tighter.
"No! Never again!" he confessed. "It's my fault. I let you down by imagining things and worrying about nothing. I hurt you. I was wrong. Don't be angry with yourself. Beat me and scold me to vent your anger."
As she spoke, she took one of her hands and waved it towards his face.
With a slight blow, the pent-up anger in Wei Ziyan's chest seemed to find an outlet, and she clenched her fist and punched him. However, after only a few blows, she couldn't hold it back anymore and her eyes turned red.
“Don’t cry…”
She had cried so much in the past two days that when Yan Qi saw her eyes reddened, he felt as if something was kneading his heart. But the tears fell like beads from a broken string, falling in large drops.
Yan Qizheng felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife, and hugged her tightly again.
Wei Ziyan grabbed his clothes with both hands and sobbed loudly, as if she wanted to cry out all the grievances in her heart.
Until she was out of breath from crying, Yan Qizheng loosened his arms, hugged her with one hand, and shook out the "mouse" handkerchief with the other hand, carefully wiping away the tears on her face.
Wei Ziyan leaned against him, still sobbing. Suddenly she caught sight of the handkerchief in his hand, and realized that the mouse was gone. She grabbed the wrist in front of her and bit it hard.
Yan Qizheng waited until she had finally let out her breath, then took the initiative to put his hand over her and said, "Bite a few more times."
Who would want to bite someone with thick skin and flesh?
Wei Ziyan turned her head away and ignored him. He rolled up his sleeves and poked the faint tooth marks she had just made under her eyelids: "If you don't bite, then you're not angry anymore?"
Wei Ziyan pulled the handkerchief over: "Give it back to me first."
It turned out to be for the "rat". Yan Qizhen finally understood and wanted to take it back to her.
But...how can I remember the steps?
Yan Qizheng immediately picked up the shoes he had thrown on the ground and rushed to the study. He also asked Leng Xiang to find a dozen clean handkerchiefs and folded a total of sixteen mice.
After crying, all the pent-up emotions in her heart were released, and Wei Ziyan felt much better. So when Yan Qizheng threw a litter of different-colored baby mice on the bed, she tried to keep a calm expression, but she could hardly suppress the upward curl of her lips.
"Where did I say I wanted so much?"
"Not many, just sixteen."
Sixteen? Wei Ziyan's mind moved, and she heard him say, "I'll fold another one for your birthday next year. And every year on your birthday from now on, I'll fold one for you."
She still suppressed the corners of her mouth.
"Why do I need you to fold so many? I can't do it myself."
After a long discussion with his wife, Yan Qizheng finally got the hang of it. Instead of just saying "You don't know how to do it," he offered an olive branch: "I'll teach you."
He was already dismantling a rat, and Wei Ziyan was also looking at him intently. Yan Qizheng was now convinced that the storm was over. His face was full of joy, but suddenly his head twitched: "If I teach you, I will sleep here tonight?"
As soon as he said that, he knew something was wrong. Sure enough, the young lady in front of him glared at him and said, "Then don't teach me anymore!"
So, no matter how he tried to make amends, he was still driven out by the angry people.
Things were not going smoothly at Fuxitang, and Jingsiyuan was not peaceful either.
The old lady and Yuhuan were making a fuss about leaving, and Mrs. Yan finally persuaded them to stay temporarily and talk about going home after the Mid-Autumn Festival.
After comforting the old man and the young, Madam Yan returned to Jingsiyuan, still feeling uneasy. After all, she was her own mother, and her niece, so she had to be somewhat sympathetic. Now that things had gotten this far, she wasn't just unhappy with her son, she also partly blamed her daughter-in-law.
Mrs. Yan believed that she was very considerate of her daughter-in-law and usually loved her very much. But in this matter, she did not know how to understand and share the worries and burdens for her as a mother-in-law, which really disappointed her.
Mrs. Yan sighed in the room, and when the master came back to ask about it, she poured out her grievances. She had hoped for a few words of comfort from him, but Yan Sunwei only shook his head and blamed her instead.
"You are so confused! The Prince of Liao has returned to the capital, and there are undercurrents in the court. The Crown Prince wants to deal with the Prince of Liao, and there will definitely be a showdown between the two. And you are still letting Qi Zheng worry about family matters at this time? Qi Zheng is so young, and it is time for him to devote himself to building a career. It is too early for you to think about branching out!"
Mrs. Yan was awakened by the master's words.
This is true. It is not too late to consider having children after three to five years. Right now, the only way to build a prosperous family is for the couple to live in harmony.
After figuring it out, Mrs. Yan went to Fuxitang the next day.
Wei Ziyan got out of bed today and took a walk outside to cool off while the sun was shining. Finally, Yan Qizheng let Bai Er out, and Wei Ziyan sat under the eaves, playing with him while basking in the sun.
Seeing her smile finally return, Yan Qi took out a handkerchief and handed it to her, "Fold a mouse for Xiaobai?"
This is to teach her.
Wei Ziyan pretended not to understand and rubbed Bai Er's head: "Our Xiao Bai doesn't like mice."
When Mrs. Yan arrived, the two were struggling between "teaching" and "not learning", and they were stunned when they heard the news.
Especially Wei Ziyan. Yan Qizheng had directly offended his mother and grandmother, who probably thought she was behind the incident. In fact, her overreaction did influence Yan Qizheng.
"It's okay," Yan Qizheng held her hand, "I'm here."
After all, he felt guilty. What if his mother came to accuse him of something? Wouldn't she be even more furious when she saw the two of them conjoined? Wei Ziyan wanted to pull her hand back, but he held it tightly. He didn't let go of her hand until he welcomed her mother into the house and sat her down.
Madam Yan had noticed the two of them being affectionate, but she turned a blind eye to it. She slowly picked up the teacup and took two sips, commenting on the taste, and then asked about the patient's condition.
"I heard the other day that you were ill and not seeing anyone, so it was difficult for me to come to your house."
Upon hearing this, Wei Ziyan immediately got down from the couch and knelt on the ground: "Ziyan was speaking without restraint. Please punish me, mother."
Seeing this, Yan Qi was about to stand up, but was stopped by Madam Yan: "I didn't say you would punish me, why are you so nervous?" As she said that, she asked Leng Xiang to help the young lady up.
"I'm not here to blame." Mrs. Yan looked at her son and daughter-in-law, her voice neither hurried nor slow.
"It all started with a misunderstanding. Qi Zheng recognized the wrong person, and we misunderstood each other. I understand your anxiety and your careless words. Qi Zheng is wholeheartedly protecting you, and I see that too."
"In the final analysis, it was my fault for not considering the situation carefully and making a hasty decision. Fortunately, Qi Zheng prevented this mistake in time. Now that it's all in the past, I hope you won't take it to heart and blame me and my grandmother."
Wei Ziyan hurriedly said, "Mother, please forgive me. I am grateful and will never harbor any resentment."
"That's good." Madam Yan's face was as gentle as ever. "It's inevitable for family members to have conflicts. Let's talk it out without creating any rifts. You can rest and recuperate. There's no need to rush to pay your respects to your grandmother."
Wei Ziyan responded in full, and Madam Yan stood up to say goodbye.
"Get well soon. I'm waiting to enjoy the moon in your garden."
This unexpected episode finally ended harmoniously. After seeing off the kind-hearted Mrs. Yan, Wei Ziyan breathed a sigh of relief. She caught a glimpse of Yan Qi, who was looking at her meaningfully with a slightly raised corner of his mouth.
"Next time you hear me say who I'm going to marry, don't get mad. At least wait until I ask you in person."
It turned out that he had remembered her careless words. Wei Ziyan was embarrassed, but refused to admit it: "Who is anxious and angry?" She turned around and went back to the house as if trying to cover up her ears and steal the bell, and Yan Qizheng followed closely.
"I'm just anxious and angry, okay? Mom just interrupted me, and I haven't taught you how to fold a mouse yet."
"I'm going to sleep."
Wei Ziyan entered the inner room and tried to close the door, but Yan Qizheng raised his hand to stop her. He smiled calmly and reminded her, "This door can't hold me in, you know."
“…”
"I won't bother you once I fold the mouse."
“…”
Not long after, Leng Xiang and Qiu Luo saw the two masters sitting next to each other. The eldest master was teaching the young mistress in a gentle voice how to fold a mouse. They were very close.
The two of them were acting suspiciously outside the door, attracting Dujuan and Ping'er to come over quietly to watch the fun.
"Fold left and right."
"Turn it over and roll it up on the left side."
"Turn it back over again, right side down..."
Yan Qizheng, knowing every step by heart, guided Wei Ziyan step by step, using both hands and words. The final mouse appeared before her eyes, and the joy of childhood seemed to return to Wei Ziyan's heart.
She stared at the mouse in her palm, smiling like a child. Yan Qi tilted his head, his gaze fixed on her profile. Her eyebrows curved, the corners of her mouth raised, her puffy cheeks rosy and white, like an alluring peach...
"I remember, I..."
Wei Ziyan excitedly wanted to tell Yan Qizhen, she remembered what her mother taught her, and when she turned around, something warm suddenly touched her cheek.
That is...
She slowly turned her eyes, and in her field of vision was only Yan Qizheng's blurred features. Realizing what he was doing, Wei Ziyan was stunned.
As Yan Qizheng slowly stepped back, he saw her eyes wide open, her mouth slightly parted in surprise, as if she was ready to kiss him—no, she wanted to kiss him. Yan Qizheng couldn't help but feel his heart flutter, and he pressed his lips against hers...
"Bang——" There was a loud noise outside, which startled her so much that she quickly separated the four lips that were stuck together.
Wei Ziyan blushed, and hurriedly got up and ran to the inner room. Ping'er, who had caused trouble outside, hurried in to apologize: "Master, please forgive me, I accidentally dropped the basin."
Yan Qi was pinching his wrist with a smile on his face, but he didn't seem angry at all about his good thing being interrupted.
He was in a very good mood at this moment, because he felt that he probably wouldn't have to sleep in the study tonight, so what did this little regret matter?
Wei Ziyan had originally planned to take a nap, but after Yan Qizheng's disturbance, she couldn't fall asleep. She lay in bed for half an hour, and when she heard that the palace had sent her an invitation to the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, she immediately sat up.
Every year on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the imperial palace held a Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, inviting important court officials and their families to join in the fun. While it was no surprise that Wei Jizhi and Yan Sunwei were invited, she was quite surprised to receive a separate invitation from a eunuch.
It was only after reading the post that I realized that he was invited because of his status as a "village chief".
"I didn't expect that the emperor still remembers you." The invitation was brought in by Yan Qizhen. After reading the content inside, he couldn't help but think of the origin of this title.
At that time, she "sacrificed herself to save her husband" and helped the Crown Prince escape danger, which earned her an extraordinary reward from the Emperor. And for the past 16 years, the Emperor has been kind enough to bestow birthday gifts upon her every year, showing his special regard for her.
Wei Ziyan hadn't expected this either, but besides being surprised, she suddenly remembered another important matter. Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching. Had His Majesty questioned the King of Liao about his crimes?
Also, why didn't Yan Qizhen have to go out these two days?
"My wife doesn't even pay attention to me, how can I have the heart to go out?"
Hearing her question, Yan Qizhen made a joke, but was met with an angry look before he got back to the topic.
"After the Liao King returned to the capital, His Majesty was in a very good mood and his condition improved significantly. The Crown Prince was ultimately soft-hearted and feared that taking action now would be too severe a blow to His Majesty, so he postponed his plan and will attack the Liao King after the Mid-Autumn Festival."
"What if the King of Liao attacks first?" Wei Ziyan was worried.
"Naturally, we have people monitoring his movements. However, since arriving in Beijing, he has been staying at the palace training horses and hasn't interacted with anyone."
"Horse training?"
"It is said that he will present a horse dance performance for His Majesty on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet."
The Crown Prince assumed that the Liao King, like him, did not want to ruin Emperor Jingren's Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, and would not choose to launch an attack before the festival. In fact, the past few days had indeed been peaceful, so he had some time to stay home with her.
After hearing Yan Qizheng's words, Wei Ziyan finally breathed a sigh of relief. It was better to postpone it so that no one would have a bad holiday.
"If you don't want to go, my father and I will explain to the higher-ups." Yan Qi was worried that she wouldn't be able to handle it.
Wei Ziyan thought about it and decided to go.
Since His Majesty values the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, there are always hidden concerns in using excuses to decline the gift. Less trouble is better than more. Besides, she suffered from a combination of heart disease and a cold. Now that the heart disease has completely subsided, a slight cold is not a concern. She can rest up for the next two days; attending a banquet won't hinder her in any way.
"Aren't my parents going too? I'll go with them."
Too.
Yan Qizheng looked at her and smiled faintly: "I will accompany the prince that night and take you home then."
【Author’s words】
No need to sleep in the study tonight [scatter flowers]
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